Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

As expected, Zeke passed the ball to Calvin—the player he admired the most.

"You guys get the first basket," Zeke said.

Calvin smiled, dribbling the ball to their side of the court.

"Thanks, sir," he said. Then, his expression quickly shifted to something serious—like he was a completely different person.

This did not get past Kai.

Even if the game had just started, he could already feel a different aura emanating from the Elite Five member. It was similar to Max Zhou's, which intensified Kai's longing to become a part of the group even more.

Then, Kai glanced at the Shenyang Sharks and their players.

It seemed like they were planning on going easy on them.

There was Zeke. However, aside from that, the other players seemed to be new ones—one that hadn't even played in the professional league.

Kai inferred that they might be fresh from the collegiate level.

Nonetheless, Kai knew not to underestimate them since they were still part of a professional team.

Zeren clicked his tongue. "Is it really alright for Kai to play for our team? What if he performs the worst out of everyone there?"

Jinping silently turned to Yuze, his eyes showing that he was curious about his answer.

Yuze held out his hand. "It's alright," he said. "I want to see how Kai plays."

Lina nodded in agreement, seriously looking at the court.

"He's very different," she continued. "Like he's on another level now."

Jinping and Zeren turned to each other with furrowed eyebrows. When they first joined the basketball team, Kai was the worst among the three of them. How fast could he have improved since the last time they played?

Calvin dribbled the ball down the court, his movements fluid and confident.

His long arms extended the dribble, making it seem like he had all the time in the world.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The fundamentals he had honed over the years were obvious in every step he took, each dribble hitting the hardwood with precision.

His sneakers squeaked against the polished floor as the high school and professional players looked forward to his skills.

For the students, Calvin Wu felt like a ray of sunshine—someone to look up to.

On the other hand, the professional players were on the lookout in case they wanted to recruit Calvin Wu into their team straight out of high school.

He continued to dribble confidently to the ring. However, as he approached the three-point line, his path was quickly blocked.

A duo of professional players closed in on him, their arms outstretched and eyes locked onto the ball.

Calvin's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

He had known playing against professionals would be tough, but he hadn't expected to be swarmed so quickly. He tried to pivot and find an opening, but the defenders were relentless, their experience and rigorous training showing in their coordinated movements.

"They're different. Calvin's having a hard time," Fenhua muttered.

"Well, if you think about it, Zeke was right. We are still high school students. We can't do much against professional players," Dafu chimed.

"Here!"

The world was barely a whisper.

Calvin's head whipped around, trying to locate the source, but he saw no one.

In that brief moment of distraction, he felt a tug, and the ball was gone from his hands.

His eyes widened as he watched it slip away, feeling like it had been stolen from him.

The defenders broke away, and one of them was now running to their side of the court.

Calvin's heart sank.

How could he have let that happen?

But then, he noticed something odd.

None of the Shenyang Sharks had the ball.

Instead, there, standing cool and collected under the rim, was Kai, his teammate.

Calvin's confusion deepened.

Kai had been on the other side of the court just a moment ago, right?

The gym was silent for a second, the crowd trying to process what had just happened.

Then, as if on cue, the scoreboard flashed a new point in favor of the high school player's team.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

2-0.

"What the heck was that? I didn't see him at all!"

"He has the same build and height as the professional players, so he blended right in. It appeared like the Shenyang Sharks also thought he was their teammate!

That was Kai's very plan.

It seemed like he was being underestimated since his guard went to Calvin instead.

He took advantage of the moment and disguised himself as one of the Shenyang Sharks.

He knew it was a risky play, but it worked out perfectly fine.

"How did you...?" Calvin started, looking at Kai with narrowed eyes.

Kai chuckled, clapping Calvin on the back.

"Man, you looked like you needed a hand out there. So I figured I'd give you one."

"But how did you get the ball? I didn't even see you coming," Calvin said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Kai's grin widened. "That's the thing. I acted like I was one of them. Blended in, got close enough to swipe it when they thought they had you cornered. It was a misdirection, I guess."

Calvin laughed, the tension of the moment finally releasing.

It seemed like the Longyu Dragons weren't exaggerating when they said that the Shizi Dogs were a team to look out for.

Zeke clicked his tongue as he looked at the long-haired player.

"Is he actually good?" he muttered.

Meanwhile, Calvin smiled as he jogged over to the court of defense.

He glanced at Kai and nodded at the younger player.

Kai smiled back at him, and it seemed like the two had a silent agreement.

Luke, on the other hand, frowned in confusion.

He was known as the best player in their school, and he was a huge fan of the Elite Five members.

To see that Kai, the player who became famous because of his funny plays, was actually acting chummy with Calvin left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Zeke, on the other hand, decided to show them what a professional team was made out of.

With a determined gaze, he dribbled past all of them at lightning speed, attempting to shoot the ball from under the basket.

However, just as he got close to the ring, he found himself in front of a large obstacle, interrupting his lightning-speed reflexes.

Then, as the light shone on the player, he couldn't help but softly gasp.

"This guy again," he muttered.